Humanity: Lost and Found
by 7HoursWarSurvivor
Summary: Jack Hall has had his life destroyed. His planet is now under the boot of the Combine. However, how much of himself is he willing to lose to survive in this new world?
1. Chapter 1

\- First Contact –

"Hey man, get your ass back in here and take your turn!" I yelled into the kitchen.

"Oh shut up, I'm bringing food!" Paul called back, coming back into the living room and sitting down. He carefully set the bowls of ramen on the table, making sure to keep them away from the board.

Paul and I had known each other since High School. When we graduated, we decided to go to the same college, as we were both majoring in the same field. We rented a small apartment a few blocks away from the school, and had been living there for a few months now. First semester had passed quickly, and we were moving into summer faster than either one of us cared to think about. Soon, the cool Wisconsin days would be getting much hotter. But, in May, we still had enough that we kept the window open most of the time.

I had started examining the board in front of me again when Paul sat down. I took an absent minded bite of the ramen that was there, too busy focusing on what his next move would be. Two player games of Risk can be boring, unless you're modified the game to the extent we did. He was stuck in a bad position, and we both knew it. One wrong move…

He finished his turn, choosing not to attack. I was taking another bite of my food, preparing my reinforcements, when I heard the program on the TV shift suddenly. It had been some boring documentary neither one of us had been watching. Now, it sounded like one of those live reports that sometimes cut in when something big happens.

I had set my reinforcements up, and was preparing my attack, when Paul turned the sound up. Getting annoyed, I turned to see what was so important.

"…we're getting reports that a nuclear explosion has occurred in New Mexico. White House officials claim that a warhead detonated while being disarmed at an abandoned missile complex known as 'Black Mesa'. How this occurred has not been clarified, though conspiracy…"

I looked at Paul, my eyebrow raised. A nuclear detonation? Some abandoned facility gone? Didn't seem like news to me. I mean, anything involving a nuclear detonation is news, but it was in the desert. Who knew what kind of stuff the government was working on out there…

"We have also received unsubstantiated rumors that strange creatures have begun appearing and attacking travelers on the highways. The White House declined to respond to this."

XXX

It had been a few days since that news broadcast. School had been canceled the second day after, and we were told to stay home due to "security concerns". Whatever the hell that meant…

The storms in the desert had slowly been getting worse. We had decided around the fourth day that we were going to stay holed up in our apartment till either the storms disappeared, or we ran out of food. We had barricaded most of the windows and doors, leaving only the front one free to be opened.

We were camped out in front of the TV, having pulled most of our important possessions into the living room. We only ever left to use the bathroom, or to make something to eat. Our TV had been programed to ignore everything but the news channels, and we flipped through them every couple of hours.

The general consensus? The government had fucked up somehow. Reports of military deployments, secret research, teleporters… Anything and everything was being reported on. Whatever had happened, they had tried to nuke the problem away, and only made things worse.

Now the human race seemed to be under attack. At least, that's what the scattered reports coming out of New Mexico, and neighboring states, were saying. Aliens, or some kind of monsters, were attacking people left and right. They would appear out of thin air, and then rip a dozen people apart before someone took it down. Panic was already spreading. People were leaving the city by the hundreds, trying to get back to family.

We stayed put. When a tower suddenly appeared, we watched in numb horror. When the military started barricading cities, we decided it was finally time to move. We needed to get the hell out of the city. The general plan was to take the backroads and get back to Pineville, the town we grew up in. We had friends there. Those friends had guns, ammo, food…

We needed a plan. Grabbing a road map I kept meaning to put in the car I was planning to get, I pulled out a red marker and started looking for roots.

"Here" I said, indicating one of the many roads. I traced it across to another backroad.

"If we follow this, it should take us straight there. With traffic the way it is, I don't want to risk the roads till we get out of the city."

Paul nodded. He had resorted to the cold, callous thinker he was when we played chess.

"What have we got to work with?"

"A couple weeks' worth of food. I got my military gear in my footlocker, and an extra backpack. Also…" I trailed off, walking into my room. I pulled out my olive drab footlocker, throwing the lid back. I pulled out a hunting knife I kept in there. Technically, we weren't supposed to have weapons, but…

"I have this" I said, showing Paul the serrated edge on it.

He looked at it for a few seconds, and then pulled out an equally dangerous looking one. We nodded to each other. Neither one of us had been big on following rules.

We had our things together within the next ten minutes. Neither one of us said a word as we packed. There really wasn't anything TO say.

XXX

I took one final look around the apartment. This was where my life was supposed to begin, where I was supposed to step into the world. Now we were leaving with only the essentials.

The news had relayed the evacuation message as we were getting ready. Local National Guard units would be helping to evac us to Madison, which seemed to be the local rally point for survivors and the military. They were going to fortify the place, then hold off the aliens till humanity got its shit together.

With a final nod, we stepped out into the hallway. I closed the door behind us, and then locked it. You never knew…

The streets were a scene of chaos. Anyone who might have been planning to wait it out was getting out of dodge. They were trying to take their cars, only to find the road clogged with abandoned vehicles. It looked like something out of a zombie movie. The plans we had made went out the window, and we decided to just make it to the nearest overpass and follow the highway.

Suddenly, a Humvee roared past, using the sidewalk to get around the cars in the road. When the second one came past, I flagged it down. They slowed down to a running speed.

"Where should we go?" I asked, pointing in the direction they were headed.

"Anywhere but here kid!" the soldier perched on the roof said.

"Yes sir!"

He looked at me like I had grown a third eye, and then shook his head. I couldn't help myself. I had planned to join the army after finishing out my second year, now it looked like I was part of it…

The Humvees left us behind. They had better things to do then help a couple of civilians.

We ran along, trying to stay out of the way while still moving at a decent pace.

Suddenly, we heard a high pitched whining noise. Then it stopped. Looking behind us, I saw something lumber out from behind a building. It was bigger than a two story house! It spouted fire from its claws, and I did my best to run even faster. The thing seemed to notice us, and started running at a speed I wouldn't have thought possible for something that big.

There was a loud roar, followed by a whistling sound. An explosion rocked the creature, sending it reeling into the building it had appeared from behind.

A tank lumbered into view. It crushed anything that got in its way, intent on destroying whatever that thing was. I saw the turret rotate towards us, aiming at the creature.

"Down…" I whispered.

"Wha…?" Paul tried to ask, before I threw him to the ground.

"GET DOWN!"

The tank lurched, sending another round over us. It impacted the creature, which crashed into a building. Roaring, it ran at the tank, which fired again. As the creature closed, the hatch on top of the tank opened, a soldier starting to fire the .50 cal. on the turret. The bullets did little to slow the massive behemoth down.

The tank fired another round, almost point-blank. Finally, the creature stopped. It moaned, and then started to stretch out. With a number of small explosions, a massive roar ripped from its throat. Finally, it exploded, showering the street with gore.

The soldier on the turret wiped his eyes clear, and then lowered himself back into the tank. After a moment, the tank rolled forward, crushing anything that got in its way.

Paul and I stood up, absently brushing ourselves off and staring after the tank.

"Jesus…" he said, turning to me.

I was busy looking at where the creature had been. Turning back to look at the tank, I shook my head.

"We need to get out of here…" I said, trying to draw on my military knowledge.

"Well, yeah…"

"No, you don't get it. The military doesn't give a shit. This place is expendable. If I know them, they're probably already preparing to blow this place off the map if it means slowing the aliens down. Hell, the Air Force is probably already on the way."

Paul looked at me with something bordering on terror. I just patted his shoulder, and then motioned towards the nearest overpass. With a shake of his head, and a quick nod, we took off running. Running up the on rap, we looked both ways, and then headed in the direction that would take us out of town the fastest.

We followed the highway out of town. The traffic had stalled; leaving me to assume it had either jammed up, or had been stopped. When we got further out of town, we ran across a military check point, which gave me an answer to that question.

The soldiers there were grim looking. None of them looked like they had gotten much sleep in the past week. With aliens appearing, that wasn't really surprising. We strode up to the checkpoint, and then were pointed toward a line that was already at least a hundred deep. We stepped in, and then slowly shuffled forward. I was actually impressed by the amount of order here. Normally, these were slapdash, panicked endeavors…

Suddenly, someone seemed to get impatient. They started shouting, demanding to be let through. I knew that this wasn't going to end well. But, the idiot was the one that actually started it. He was arguing with some scared looking soldier, who couldn't have been much older than I was. The way he clutched his rifle made me more nervous than the moron yelling at him.

The man must have pulled something. A gun, a knife, I don't know. All I do know is that he had about six guns pointed at him when he did. He still swung at the kid, and was promptly cut down in a hail of rifle fire.

The panic began to start, till a soldier fired his sidearm in the air.

"All right, that's enough!" He yelled, looking at both the other soldiers, than at the people waiting to be evacuated.

"Take this man's fate as a lesson. We have been authorized to shoot any who try to impede this operation. If you all stay quiet, you will all be evacuated."

The crowd was silent then. I was glad someone had stepped up, because I sure as hell wasn't. I had always imagined myself to be a leader, but was always the one trying to avoid attention. As long as people ignored me, I was fine.

Another whining split the air. No one really panicked; I think we were all too shocked for that. The whine dissipated, leaving the air still. Suddenly, a creature that looked like a cross between Cthulhu and a bull burst over the edge of the road, quickly followed by three more.

They ripped into the checkpoint. The soldiers tried to fight back, but the people who began to flee kept getting in the way. Suddenly, it was madness. Soldiers trying to attack the enemy, people trying to flee the road, and people fighting each other for, seemingly, no reason.

To my credit, I sprinted toward the checkpoint. I think, at least subconsciously, I wanted to help, to offer any assistance I could. I was a pretty decent shot. All I needed was for someone to give me a gun.

Instead, I leapt over the sandbags that had been set up. I sprinted forward, leaving the checkpoint behind me. I wasn't going to die for people I didn't know! I heard Paul stamping behind me, trying to keep up. When we finally ran past an off ramp, and hit more stalled traffic, we finally collapsed onto the roadway.

XXX

We lay there for a long time, neither one of us wanting to move. We were alive, which was good, but we had just fled from almost certain death. I didn't hear any gunshots coming from south of us, so either the soldiers had handled things or, more likely, they were dead.

I started at that callous outlook on the events that had just happened. Where was the compassion that had been drilled into me from my earliest memories? I didn't feel guilty for it, I just felt sort of lost.

Finally, we both rose. As we were getting our bearings, we heard what sounded like wind. However, this was getting louder, moving closer to us. Looking out, we saw what appeared to be a wall moving towards us. Beyond that, what looked like a huge orb was hanging over the city we had just left.

The wall passed us by, knocking us both over. What followed in its wake was a series of small, what I assumed were, portals opening, depositing more aliens onto the earth. One of them immediately began to moving it's, what looked like hands, in a gesture that I couldn't really describe. Suddenly, green lightning shot out and killed one of the other aliens.

Well, that was enough for me! I started sprinting again.

XXX

That was the first time I head the phrase "Portal Storm". Paul made it up, seemingly out of the blue. When I asked him about it, he mentioned the random teleportation that seemed to follow the first one.

I just grunted my approval, seemed like as good a name as any. And it was very apt. Except that it seemed to only touch on the destruction they seemed to create.

We were walking along, taking a breather from all the running. We were approaching an overpass when we heard wind.

We both looked at each other, than turned to watch the wall head towards us. Paul opened his mouth looking like he was about to yell something. I already knew what he was going to say…

A/N: Well, first attempt at writing something like this. I hope you all enjoyed it, or at least tolerated it. Please review, and let me know what you think! Any tips on writing better are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

\- Conquest -

"Shit, another ones coming!"

"Hit the deck!" I yelled, grabbing Paul and throwing him behind one of the cars.

The portal storm passed over us, and ground began to vibrate. The overpass ahead of us suddenly started to crumble, dumping cars, concrete, and people into the valley below. We stayed where we were, waiting for some kind of follow-up. When nothing happened, I stood up. Paul followed suit, and we both stared.

The overpass was a no go. The gap was wider than either of us could have jumped, unless we were on the moon. I pulled the map out of my backpack and laid it down on the hood of a car. Tracing the highway we were on, I stopped where we were. Marking it with a red marker, I traced the railroad that ran through the valley below us. It seemed to be a straight shot north, and passed within about twenty miles of Pineville.

I was trying to do the math in my head when Paul slammed into me. I turned to ask him what the hell he was doing, when I saw what he was running from.

A creature was making its way toward us. It was roughly humanoid, except for the massive red eye that dominated its face, the third arm growing from its chest, and its double jointed legs.

I reached for my knife, ready to defend myself if it tried anything.

It got closer, seeming to be taking in its surroundings. When it finally noticed us, it ran over at a pace that seemed completely impossible for something with such a weird build. The knife was up before I knew it.

It skidded to a halt, taking in the situation. Paul was lying on the ground, saying something about how he had told everyone the aliens would invade. I was standing there with my knife in both hands, holding it out like a sword. The creature turned to me, and I felt my heart stop. It was that single eye…

It reached for the knife.

And I lunged at it!

I delivered a straight kick to the creature's chest, my combat boots giving it an extra force. It stumbled back, and then raised its hands. The fear was overwhelming. That single eye…

"Oh no you don't, none of that lightning bullshit!" I yelled, flipping the knife with a grace I didn't know I had. I brought it down in an arch, putting as much force into the stab as I could.

The knife struck home, sinking into the creatures shoulder. I pulled it out and stabbed again.

I kept stabbing until it was lying on the ground, dead. Finally, I slowly stopped, more out of exhaustion then from a desire to stop. I was breathing hard, much more than I should have been. I dropped the knife, and then sat down hard on the road, looking at the creature.

Paul slid next to me, and we sat staring at it for a long time. Finally, he stood up and walked over to it. He slowly nudged it with his boot.

"Dude," he said, "you fucking killed it!"

I just sat there, not responding at first. Finally, when I felt my breathing start to return to normal, I responded.

"I guess I did…"

"You can officially say you met, and killed, an alien!"

That was pretty cool, when I thought about it. I grabbed my knife, and slid it into its sheath. Then I stared down at the creature.

We stood there for at least ten minutes. We had seen these things on the news, sure. And, we had seen them from a distance. But, this was the first one we had seen up close. It was both exhilarating, and terrifying.

Finally, I grabbed the map and motioned to the railroad below us. Delivering a parting kick to the alien, I started walking towards the edge of the road.

"Let's move. That will take us pretty much all the way back home."

"Cool. Let's rock and roll!" Paul said, forking his fingers into horns.

"You are an idiot sometimes…"

"Yeah, it's one of my many charms."

We both laughed at that. Really, we gave almost no thought to the alien. I don't think it had sunk in yet that we had even encountered one. It might have also been the fact that, if we did think about it for too long, we might lose any desire to keep going…

XXX

We followed the railroad for a long time. When evening slowly colored the horizon, we decided to make camp.

"Hope we can get a decent night's sleep…" Paul said, setting his backpack down and pulling out a chocolate bar.

"Doubt it. Those storms have been getting worse ever since that explosion in New Mexico. We'll be lucky if they don't hit us full force until morning."

"Yeah, but we can kill those alien things, so what does it matter?"

"The fact that we killed one, and there are probably thousands, if not millions, appearing all over the earth.

That made us both stop. When you put it like that, one dead alien wasn't that impressive. Not when compared to what the military was probably doing, and they were already losing…

"Jesus…" I breathed out. If the military was already getting beat, and it was going to get worse…

Paul seemed to read my mind.

"We might lose the planet. Humanity just…gone" he said quietly.

At some point, we both lay back and tried to get some rest. However, I don't think either one of us fell asleep for a long time.

XXX

The morning light was barely in the sky when we awoke to a rising shrill noise.

"Portal storm!" We both said, and looked for any cover we could.

Which was nothing at all. The railroad was a great thing to follow, but there was nothing for us to hide behind.

"Lay as flat as you can!" I heard Paul yell. Nodding, I lay down.

The storm ripped down the valley the railroad occupied. Already, I could tell this one was worse than before, and that was saying something.

It ripped past us, uprooting trees as it went. I began to feel myself getting tugged along with it, and tried to dig into the ground as far as I could. Finally, it passed, its shrill whistle slowly fading.

I finally raised my head when I couldn't hear it anymore, and looked around.

Everything seemed fine. Fallen trees aside, it looked like a pretty normal forest.

Then I looked for Paul.

He was gone.

XXX

I scrambled to my feet, hoping that I had just missed him.

He was gone.

At least, that's what I thought until I heard moaning from off to my right. Running over, I found my friend lying on the ground, his leg bent at an angle that was not normal.

"Jesus!" He screamed.

I just sat there, not sure what to do. I knew that we would have to make a splint for it, but…

How do you just do what needs to be done when you're friend looks like that?

Finally, I just looked to him.

"Jesus, you got messed up bad…" I said, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock! Help me!"

I looked around and found what I was looking for. Two large, strong sticks were lying pretty close by. I grabbed them, and then ripped the boot laces out of Paul's boot. That got a nice 'Fuck you', but I worked as fast as I could.

"Alright man, I need you to be tough. This is gonna hurt…"

"Wha…Shit!"

I grabbed his leg and moved it back to the position I thought it should roughly occupy. Grabbing the sticks, I held them against his leg and tied the boot laces around them. I tied them as tight as I thought I could without cutting off circulation.

We sat there for a while, Paul doing his best not to pass out from the pain.

Finally, when he seemed to be okay, I offered my hand.

"Come on, we gotta move" I said, hoisting him up to a standing position.

"With my leg like this?" He asked, whimpering slightly.

"Yeah. The faster we get home, the faster we can get it looked at by someone who didn't learn first aid by watching TV and playing games."

"Fuck, my life is in the hands of an idiot…"

"Yeah, well this idiot is going to have to carry you're crippled ass, so I would be nice. Wrap you're arm around my shoulder."

He latched on, and we started off. We were moving a lot slower than we could have, but I didn't want to push it. Last thing I needed was for him to lose that leg because I was impatient.

XXX

It was deep into the night when we finally made camp. Gingerly, I set Paul down next to a decent sized rock.

"I'm going to go grab some wood for a fire" I said, already looking for a place to get up the bank of the valley.

"You're just going to leave me here?" He asked, clearly panicking.

That had me worried. He didn't normally panic in stressful situations. Maybe it was just the broken leg…

Or it might be a fever setting in…

"Look," I said, trying to be as comforting as possible, "I need to get some decent sized stuff to burn. I'll be gone for a few minutes and come back as quickly as I can. I'm not leaving you anywhere."

That seemed to calm him, although he was still on edge.

"All right, fine," he said, adjusting himself to be more comfortable, "but you better not fall and break your leg too…"

With a shake of my head, I clambered up the bank. I looked back when I got to the top, then set off into the woods.

XXX

I turned back after what I had what I felt would be enough fire wood for the night. It was difficult finding my way back in the dark, but I didn't want to risk using my flashlight. I had no idea what might be roaming the woods with me. Those portals had let loose all kinds of shit onto earth.

I almost fell into the valley where I had left Paul. In the dark, the ground had a funny way of blending so that it concealed any holes or ravines that might exist. Finally, I threw the firewood down, and slid down toward our makeshift camp.

I grabbed the wood and walked up to Paul's dormant form. It was so dark; I could only barely make him out.

"Hey man, I'm back!" I said, trying to sound as joyful as possible.

He didn't move.

"Look, don't be pissed at me. I'll get the fire going, then we can eat something.

Still nothing.

I was getting annoyed at this point.

"Don't pull that two year old 'I'm not talking to you' bullshit."

He just lay there.

Now I was worried.

I tugged my flashlight off my belt. Flicking the switch had zero effect. Smacking it produced the light.

Then Paul got up.

He staggered towards me. My light shone off the slick surface of the thing that was on his head. His hands were covered in blood, the bone starting to poke through the tips of his fingers.

I backed up, and fell over the wood I had been carrying.

I tried to back away, but he was on top of me. I could feel him start ripping at my clothes, trying to get at me.

"Get off me!" I yelled, throwing all my strength into getting him off me.

He stumbled back, then came right back at me. I pulled my knife from its sheath.

"Don't make me do this man! I can help you!"

The only response was a moan.

He came at me again. We both fell to the ground, my knife landing a couple of feet away. I tried to crawl away, to get to the only defense I had.

But he was clawing at me again. I could feel the bone ripping into my flesh. The knife was back in my hand at that point. And then something seemed to snap in me.

I stabbed out. I didn't care what I hit, so long as it got me away from this…thing. I stabbed and then started to back away slowly, only able to see what my small flashlight illuminated.

He came on, oblivious to the damage I had done. He reached out, his claws ready to sink into me.

Then I tackled him. I drove the knife down into the crab creature on his head. I had meant to only stab far enough to kill it, hoping I might somehow save my friend. But once I started, I couldn't stop stabbing it. I finally slowed, breathing heavily.

I left the knife there, not wanting to touch it. I crawled away, tears starting to flow. What had I done?

I collapsed backward, sobbing. It was the only thing I could do. I had not just lost one of my best friends, but had been the one that killed him! If I hadn't been so arrogant and left him alone… If I had just been faster getting back…

I didn't know what to do. I just felt lost. Where was I going to go? What was I supposed to do?

In the end, I curled up into a ball and fell asleep. Sometimes, sleep is the only place to go.

XXX

I awoke to the sound of rotor blades. They were far off, or at least they seemed to be. I slowly rose to a sitting position, looking around in bewilderment. Where was I?

Then I remembered the events of the previous night. I looked to the prone form in front of me. I felt like I should cry, or do something. But nothing came, and I just sat there.

Suddenly, the rotors got closer. I could tell the general direction they were coming from, but didn't see the source. It slowly got farther away, and I relaxed slightly. After giving myself a few more minutes, I shuffled over to where my friend's body lay. I grabbed his pack from where he had left it, and then moved away as fast as I could.

I stood up at that point, intent on leaving as fast as possible. But when I turned back, I knew I couldn't just leave him like that. And I still needed my knife…

I grabbed the jacket from his bag and laid it over him. I grabbed my knife, trying not to think about the force I had to use to pull it out. When I finally had it, I wiped the blade on the same jacket I had covered him with, and then pulled it over his head.

I stood there for a brief moment, saying a prayer to a god I had stopped believing in a long time ago. Nodding to the body, I said the only thing that came to mind:

"You were a hell of a guy man. I was lucky to know you…"

With a final nod towards the body, I started walking down the tracks. I looked back once, and then forced myself to keep looking forward.

XXX

I don't know how long I was walking. A few days? That sounds right, but time can get funny when you're alone. I didn't have a watch; it had broken when I had hit the ground at some point. For a miracle, I hadn't seen a single alien. Since that night…

No! I couldn't let myself think about that. If I did, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move forward.

Or that I might go insane…

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. When the tracks began to bend to the left, I climbed the bank and started off into the woods. Checking my map, I saw that, if I kept this pace, I would be home before nightfall. Well, that might have been optimism on my part. Definitely before midnight…

XXX

The town was dark as I approached the outskirts. For a place that had the highway as a main street, I was surprised. Then I remembered the state the world was in. Lights probably weren't a big priority way out here, away from the major population centers…

My house was close to the edge of town. I approached it slowly, and as quietly as I could manage. I drew my knife out, not sure if I was ready to face what might be inside. Would I be able to kill my own family if I had to?

Not that stealth lasted very long. I tripped on the last step on the deck, falling forward. My knife stuck into the boards, and I was left feeling like a complete idiot.

"How could I forget there were five steps instead of fours?" I asked, slowly getting up.

The door flew open, the muzzle of a shotgun in my face. I could see the gleam of my dad's bolt action rifle in the background.

"What do you…Jack?" I heard a familiar voice say, before a hand reached down.

"Jesus," I said, taking it, "does a man have to risk getting shot to come home?"

My friend Jon stood before me. His hair was longer than I remembered, and he had a new scar above his eye, but it was him. We shook hands, and then hugged each other. When you haven't seen each other in a while, you make an exception to the normal way of dealing with people.

He motioned me inside. The door closed behind us, his dad locking it. I looked at what was left of the living room I had helped my mom paint just last summer.

Most of the furniture was gone. It had been busted up and nailed over the windows. I nodded to the rest of John's family, glad to see that his brother and sister, as well as his mom, had made it.

I sat down in a chair John offered me. Normally, I would have played the polite host, but I was exhausted. I leaned back, allowing the chair to tip onto its back legs. At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I didn't remember anything after that.

XXX

I was standing on a road, cars whizzing by on both sides. I put out an arm, only to have it pass right through them. I gazed around. It all looked…familiar…

Someone was standing next to me. Paul! He looked fine, and smiled that cocky grin he had when I looked at him. Then the scenery shifted.

We were in a valley, a railroad running down the middle. The sky was growing dark. Paul looked worn; he had a crude splint on his leg. He set a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at him.

I stumbled back, and he grabbed me with his other hand. His head was covered in blood, a hole in his forehead. He pulled me down, and got close enough that I could see through it.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, sounding angry and scared.

"Wha…" I tried to say something, anything.

"WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!" He screamed, raising his clawed hands and bringing them down, digging into my chest. Blood flowed from my mouth.

XXX

I awoke with a start. The light was just drifting in through the boarded up front window. With a harsh sigh, I rubbed a shaking hand across my face. I tried to banish the nightmare from my memory…

That image of Paul would not leave me. Probably never would.

With another sigh, I rose from the chair I had fallen asleep in. Making sure not to wake anyone, I walked out onto the back deck.

Mist hung in the air. Giving the yard an almost dream like quality. I knew that, when the sun finally peak out, it would be warm and muggy. But, for now, it was cool.

John came out behind me. Closing the door, he walked over and leaned against the deck rail. Sipping something out of a cup, he motioned towards the field.

"Seems like nothing has changed, am I right?"

"Yeah" I breathed out, still trying to clear the dream from my mind.

John noticed, and then got a serious look on his face. From someone who had always seemed to have a joke ready, it was uncomfortable to see.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Paul's gone." I looked toward where the sun would be.

"What happened?"

"One of those crab things got him while I was gathering fire wood. I had to…" I pointed to my head, and then made a slicing gesture.

"Jesus…"

I just stayed silent, not really sure what else to say.

The sun rose higher in the sky. It was probably around ten when John's dad burst out of the house.

"Get in here! You might want to see this!" He said running back inside.

We looked at each other. Shrugging, we headed in.

XXX

The news, if it could even still be called that, was giving a million reports on what was happening. They kept showing footage of a meeting of what was left of the United Nations. The name "Dr. Breen" came up often. He was the former admin of the Black Mesa facility, and was adamant that humanity try to make contact with whoever had sent those massive spires here, which had stayed closed throughout the panic filled week and a half.

When he finally did enter, however, the spires lit up. Suddenly, humanity's battered military forces had a new enemy on their hands. With shock, we watched large tripods, like something out of 'War of the Worlds' stomp through city streets. They destroyed everything they came across.

Apparently, Los Angeles was the site of a massive counter attack attempt, including a group of specialists who had somehow been involved with whatever happened at Black Mesa. The details were sketchy, but nothing was speaking of any human victories. We were losing before, and now we were being annihilated. Even if the military were in top form, I doubt they would have lasted very long. Our enemy was more advanced than us.

Those thoughts came later. For now, I was focused on the screen. We were terrified of the images coming from Chicago, where the military had already abandoned the city to the attackers. They seemed to be trying to use artillery fire to take them out, but the news feed suddenly went dead.

Finally, after only seven hours, it was over. Dr. Breen emerged from the citadel, and negotiated humanities surrender to the "Universal Union". Occupation would begin immediately, and every human should cooperate with our new "benefactors". Breen was saying something about this being a new golden age for humanity when I turned the TV off. After that, everyone sort of drifted off to their own part of the house. Finally, we all managed to fall asleep. I felt completely drained.

We had lost…

XXX

When the first light of morning peeked through the boarded up windows, and I still wasn't asleep, I got up from where I was laying. Taking the road map out, I started looking over places I could go. I had to leave civilization behind, or I would get rounded up when the occupation forces rolled through…

I would leave. Go north. Maybe find a cabin up in Canada, and live the rest of my life in peace. I would talk to the others when they got up. I could only hope they would agree to come with me…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: First Encounter

Everyone was late getting up. We were all stunned by what had happened. First the aliens, then our world was conquered in a single day? Yeah, we were all a little shaken up…

I let most of the day pass by. However, I knew that, if I was going to leave, I should get moving soon. I called everyone together to talk my idea over. John agreed with me, but his brother and dad didn't quite see it my way. They figured it was just better to stay put, and survive whatever happened next. There was no changing their minds, and there was no way I could convince John to leave his family. I was going to be on my own if I left. I knew that my odds of survival were lower without other people, but I grabbed my things, including some small trinkets from my room, and prepared to leave.

I had enough food and water to last me two weeks. I grabbed the 30-06 bolt action from the gun cabinet, along with ammo and extra magazines. I strapped a buck knife to my belt, and put my pocket knife next to it. Once everything was in order, I laced up my boots and prepared to leave.

My departure wasn't a grand thing. No people telling me to stay or words of good luck. I think we were all too dazed for that. I grabbed John, told him to stay safe, and shook his hand. Then, pulling out my map, I set out to find some place I could hide out.

Luckily, Wisconsin has a lot of wilderness, so my options were open. I figured heading north was best, as that put me in far denser forests. That also meant I would be dealing with more of the creatures, but they were far better than the occupiers.

XXX

I spent seven months like that. Seven months I hid in the forest. My life was relatively comfortable, for the most part. However, the occupiers also secured their position in that time. They started to spread out from the major cities. We were being rounded up, like animals; to be concentrated and controlled, just like I had guessed would happen. I hoped that, by being so far from civilization, I was safe. I was wrong.

I spotted them in the early morning. There were six of them, walking down a path that ran through the woods, looking for something. I thought they were regular army at first, their camo in the "woodland" pattern many units sported in the area. However, they wore arm bands that had writing I had never seen before, along with a large "6" on their right shoulders. They wore ski masks to cover their faces, and protective goggles blocked out their eyes.

"Not regular army" I said to myself. They were organized, though. "Sympathizers." The word was like acid on my tongue. I had heard rumors that some people were collaborating with the occupying forces. Chief example was that son of a bitch "Doctor" Breen. I had hoped that the rumors weren't true, that humanity couldn't sink that low. Then, the images of Nazi Germany came to mind. Man could sink that low…

They couldn't live. I had to stop them here, to strike back somehow.

I moved into the bushes along the trail. They hadn't spotted me, so I had the element of surprise. I had never killed anyone before, my hands shaking as I checked that the rounds were loaded in my rifle. I had never killed anyone, but these…. things, they would be the exception. "Just like deer," I told myself, "aim for the vitals." I calmed myself, and then breathed in. My finger squeezed around the trigger…

The first one dropped before the others knew what had happened. I fumbled with the bolt, and managed to take out another one. Then they scattered, moving forward as one would provide covering fire for the others. I felt a round graze my arm, but tried to focus. I hit another one, then another as he tried to provide cover for the last man. However, the last one was on top of me before I could react. He hit me over the head with his rifle, stars exploding into my eyes. My rifle went flying, and the soldier pulled out a knife, the serrated edge gleaming. "You're mine now you little shit" he said as he lunged at me. I rolled to the right, trying to grab my rifle. He noticed, and kicked it further away, then used a straight kick into my stomach. I dropped to my knees, the breath knocked from me. The knife was coming down, and I did the only thing I could do. I grabbed my buck knife from its sheath, blocking the knife swing with my arm. Then I stabbed as hard as I could into the soldier's stomach. It knocked him back, his body armor protecting him. Swearing, I kicked his crotch and went for the face. I stabbed again, and was rewarded with a scream. Then I kept going, stabbing and stabbing, over and over. I slowly surfaced from the fog that had descended on me. I looked around blinking, and then looked at the man under me. I had killed six people…

I couldn't hold back, and vomited right then and there. It wasn't like killing deer. It wasn't like it at all.

I crawled away and just lay on the ground staring up at the sky.

XXX

I don't know how long I was laying there. When I started to think about what the clouds looked like, I deciding I should probably get moving. Looking over the bodies of the soldiers, I could feel the urge to vomit sneaking up my throat. I held it back, and took what I could off the bodies.

However, these weren't normal soldiers. Something had been done to them. They had scars covering most parts of their bodies, as well as a number of devices implanted into their skull and chest.

"So, we aren't just a stepping stone. We're a source of man power…"

Suddenly, this invasion was making more sense. If the occupiers had known they could be anything we threw at them, it was only logical to invade.

"Enough," I said, grabbing an equipment vest and whatever else I could carry, "they probably have friends. Gotta keep moving…"

I started walking again. North was the only direction that made sense to me. If I could get far enough, they would leave me alone, and I could live out the rest of my life in peace. I followed roads that didn't seem like they had been used, avoided towns and cities, and just kept moving. My only goal was to get as far away from civilization as possible. I would have to live like a rat from now on, camouflage everything I did, and try to stay under the radar of those who had decided Earth would be a nice addition to whatever they represented. They had come, kicked humanity's collective ass, and had decided to stay. My hands clenching, I kept going.

The one thing I had forgotten since my last trip this far into Canada was how cold it got at night. I had bandaged the wound on my arm, and hoped it didn't get infected. Laying my pack down next to a tree, I pulled out some of the food I had brought with me. Then I realized I hadn't brought a can opener. "God damn it!" I yelled as I threw the can at the tree. My hands were shaking, my breath ragged. I just lay down on the ground and cried. I cried for the first time since this whole thing had started. It was all gone. My entire life had disappeared in just over two weeks of hell. My family was probably dead…

What was the point? Why should I keep living after all that had happened?

A/N: And another one done! Sorry for the massive gap between this chapter and the last one, school has been getting in the way of me writing. That and Victoria 2. Ok, mostly Victoria 2.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this shorty, and I'll try to get another one out soon. Please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: New Friends

It had been several days since that night. I had been walking most of them, only stopping for a couple hours to eat something and sleep. Where was I going? I didn't know, only that I had to keep going north. That was when I stumbled across a cabin.

It was in the middle of nowhere, far from any of the highways I had passed. The snow that had fallen the night before was being whipped into a storm by the wind. I squinted my eyes, thankful for the goggles and facemask I had grabbed from one of the soldiers. Ahead, a cabin loomed out of the storm. Tensing, I crept towards the door, rifle in hand. If there were people, I wanted to get the drop on them before they could get the drop on me.

Approaching the door, I listened for squeaking floorboards, scraping furniture, anything that might be a person moving. Except for the sound of the wind, I couldn't hear anything. It was silent as a tomb. After making sure the rifle was loaded, I opened the door. Still nothing, the place looked abandoned.

Whoever had lived here had left in a hurry. Objects were thrown around the place, and had a layer of dust on them that could only mean the place was abandoned for weeks. Lowering my rifle slightly, I checked the rest of the cabin. More of the same. Abandoned objects, overturned furniture, doors hanging ajar, the place looked like a hurricane whipped through it. Returning to the main room, I picked up a chair, took off my pack, and sat down. Finally, a place to rest.

I don't know how long I sat there, and I really didn't care. I had found a place to call my own. It would have to be camouflaged, and I would still have to be careful, but it felt good to have a roof over my head. A place to call home.

After wasting enough time sitting there, I figured I should check out the rest of the place, and see what was left. The answer? Not much. Whoever had owned the place had taken most of the good stuff. No food, no gasoline or cooking fuel, and only a couple of shells for a shotgun I didn't even have. The only thing that seemed untouched was a large bookshelf in the bedroom. I skimmed my finger along the spines, checking to see what was there. Steven King, a couple of westerns, a lot of historical texts, and, between two dictionaries, was a book I had always hoped to read, but never go around too.

"Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes." Well, this was unexpected. I had a small libraries worth of books to pass the time with. Setting the bed to rights, I threw Don Quixote onto it, intent on reading it later. With a final look toward the bookshelf, I turned and went back out to the main room.

With that out of the way, I started moving in. I set most of my food in the kitchen, leaving only a small supply in my pack. The rifle went in the bedroom, along with the ammo and my other miscellaneous objects. It was around this time I had the smart idea to open the refrigerator, and nearly vomited when I did. No power for a couple of months, and the food in the fridge had created a brand new smell that approached new levels of vomit inducing. Disgusted with the whole thing, I pushed it outside and opened it, intent on letting nature clean it out.

And that was that! I had a new place to call my own, far out of the way of any search patterns, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over my head. The world might be under alien occupation, and the human race its slaves, but I didn't care. For that one night, I was going to be happy. Laying down with Don Quixote, I read until there was no light left to see by, and then I went to bed happier than I could remember being.

Waking up was far less inviting. I was cold, numbingly so. If this was going to be my home, my wardrobe, and my life as a whole, was going to have to change. Food was the most important things, along with heat and water. After warming myself up, I changed into some slightly warmer clothes, and then decided to do some scouting. After eating a cold breakfast, I grabbed my rifle and headed outside.

The morning was crisp and clear. You would think nothing had changed in the world from the look of it. After allowing myself to just stand and admire it, I started walking. Circling around the cabin revealed a well cover half buried in snow. That meant that the cabin had to have running water, and I added it to the list of things I was going to have to check out when I got back. Hiking into the woods, I made sure to leave myself a trail of marking back.

After spending a couple of hours hiking around, I found a large series of rocks that would give me a view of the surrounding area. Not that there was much to see, just more trees and snow. With a huff of annoyance, I hopped down and started back. This was going to be harder than it looked in movies….

The cabin was a great site as I hiked out of the woods. It was nice finally having a place of my own. As I walked towards the door, I took a moment to see if the night had done anything for the fridge. It hadn't. However, I heard a thump as I stepped next to it. Clearing the snow revealed a storm door.

That meant there was a basement. An area I hadn't checked….

I ran back inside.

It all looked right, but at the same time, it wasn't. There was a can on the table that I didn't leave there, and some of my clothes were hanging out of my pack. Someone had gone through them.

Someone was in the cabin.

I ran through the place, looking for something I might have missed. There was the bookshelf, but there was nothing behind it. No door. I then checked the only other room, besides the bathroom, in the place. I hadn't cleaned it up yet, but something was off from yesterday.

There were drag marks in the dust. And footprints, leading up to another bookshelf, this one empty.

Grabbing my rifle, I threw my weight against the bookcase. It slid away easily enough. And there it was, the door. Cursing myself for not being thorough enough, I opened it. It lead to a small storage room, and then a series of stairs leading down into the cellar.

Going back for a flashlight, I turned it on and clipped it to my jacket. Rifle at the ready, I stepped down into the dark. Turning left at the bottom, I was confronted with a large room, and a door, with light shining through the crack underneath.

Sprinting towards it, I slammed it open, and was confronted with something I had never thought I would see. A man, leaning over a bed and, on that bed, was an alien, its one red eye turned towards the door. Towards me.

X X X

The rifle was up before the thought even crossed my mind. There was one of the bastards that had attacked me, had attacked my planet. They had the upper hand last time, and I had managed to kill them with a knife. Now, I had a gun. Time to exterminate this thing.

The man who was leaning over it finally noticed me, saw the gun, and moved between me and the creature.

"Get the hell out of the way; I'm going to blast that fucker back to hell!" I yelled at the man.

"Don't shoot! He's injured, he hasn't done anything!" He said back, and he reached behind his back for something.

"Bullshit, those things invaded our planet. They helped those other bastards take over. Don't try to sell me on any of this 'They come in peace' crap."

The man pulled out a revolver and leveled it at me. It was ancient, its muzzle looking as big as a cannon. In reality, it probably wasn't, but you try having a gun pointed at you.

"Try to shoot him, and you won't walk away from it." He said as calmly as he could.

"You're going to kill me over one of them?"

"If I have to."

I lowered the gun slightly, and he relaxed as well. The creature simply looked on, and seemed… relived? I don't know if it's possible for them to feel anything, but the way it looked, it seemed relieved.

"So, what now?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well, I need to tend to his wounds. Put the gun down." He motioned to the wall next to me.

"Only if you do the same."

"Fine."

We both set our guns down. Once he was sure I wouldn't try anything, the man turned his focus back to the creature. He looked over his shoulder every once in a while to keep an eye on me.

"What's your name?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't know who this guy was, but I wasn't going to trust him just because he wasn't aiming a gun at me. And the fact that he was helping one of those creatures made me trust him even less.

"Nathan White," he said, "pleasure to make your acquaintance" he added hesitantly.

"What happened to it?" I nodded toward the alien.

"HE was hit by a car," he said, "I've been tending to him for the past week."

"Why?"

"Because he needed it. I'm a doctor by trade, and I made an oath to help those who need it. No matter their origin, race, or," he turned to the alien "their species."

"Good motives, but you're helping one of the beings that attacked our planet." I said, the anger clearly showing.

"They never attacked us, at least not willingly. I found those," he gestured to a collar and wrist shackles that sat in the corner, glowing a sickly green, "where I found him. As far as I can tell, they are slaves."

At the mention of the word slave, the creature stirred. I reached for the rifle, pointing it in the creature's general direction. Nathan grabbed the revolver and pointed it at me. The creature attempted to rise, but fell back with the effort. Walking over, I set the rifle down and looked at Nathan.

"I hope you know what you're doing." I said as I helped the alien into a sitting position, or as close as it could get with its strange body.

It sat there for a few moments, as if it were catching its breath, and then it attempted to rise. Half way up, I could tell it wasn't going to make it, and did the only thing I could do. I grabbed it and helped it up, as if it were just another one of my long lost friends.

It didn't do anything at first, seeming to try to catch its breath again. Then it looked to the doctor with what seemed to be gratitude. Then it turned its head and looked at me. I froze, unable to move. It was unnerving as hell just being in the same room with it, trying to read it from a distance. But to have that one large, red eye and three smaller ones all focused on you.

"Thank… you…" it said in broken English.

I didn't know what to do. I was frozen here, standing next to, and supporting, a creature I had never thought I would see until they had invaded. I had no idea what to say, so I said the only thing that came to mind.

"Um, your welcome," I stammered out, "but it's the doc over there that saved your life. I just got here."

It didn't seem surprised by this information. Then I realized that it had known that already. It was thanking me for helping it up and, probably, for not shooting it. Once I was sure it could stand, I backed up. I was NOT going to get used to this thing, not any time soon, and I wanted to put some space between it and me. Grabbing the rifle, the doctor made a reach for his gun, and laying it on my shoulder, I walked towards the door.

"Feel free to come upstairs when you want" I said, and left the room.

I was lying in my bed, Don Quixote in hand, when I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Then there was a hesitant clicking sound. That had to be the alien. I groaned and went back to my book. They moved around for a while, and then the alien must have sat down, because the doc was the only one that stuck his head in.

"Thank you for not shooting him." He said, nodding his head. I simply waved him off. "No problem." I whispered.

"You could come and sit out here if you want; I know the bed isn't the most comfortable."

"Doc, I just met you. I'm not real social with people I just met. And, between you and me, that thing unnerves me to all hell." I said, dropping my voice.

"Fine, but trust me, he won't bite." The doctor grinned slightly, and I realized he had made a joke.

"Sure, whatever you say."

It was growing dark when I set the book down. Once you got past the weird style of writing, it wasn't half bad. Groaning slightly, I made my way out into the main room. They had done some cleaning while I was reading, and it looked much more livable. They also had cleaned up the other room, so they must have decided to stay. With a sigh, I turned toward the kitchen. Time to try to make friends with a guy I just met and an alien.

They were sitting there in what seemed like awkward silence. They were staring at each other, sure, but they hadn't done a lot of talking from the look of things. Great, I thought, they're both shy on top of all this? With a slight shake of the head, I walked fully into the room. They both turned to look at me, as if expecting me to say something, that one large eye seeming to look into my soul. Great, now I'm on the spot.

"So, what are we all eating?" I said, and I felt the tension in the room almost dissipate. So that was it. They were worried about what I was going to do? Seemed like it at any rate. Sitting down, I looked at the cupboards and noticed far more food then I remembered.

"I brought the stores up from downstairs, so feel free to look." Nathan said.

Most of it was standard canned food. But then I turned my head slightly and saw something that made my mouth open slightly: MREs and lots of them. With a slight turn of my head, I looked to Nathan. "Where did you get all of this?" I asked, still amazed.

"Well, in truth, I bought them because they're easy to use. Made camping simpler, and I felt more prepared for having them." He said, slightly embarrassed. "Wish I could say I was preparing, but I wasn't."

With a shake of my head, I grabbed a can of Ravioli out of the cupboard. I sat down and opened the can with my knife. Sticking it in the sheath attached to my leg, I began to eat. Looking at my two dining companions, I felt a little rude for eating when they weren't.

"So, are you going to eat? Or…" I said, not really knowing how to continue.

With a slight shake of his head, Nathan looked at me.

"There are some things we need to talk about." He said. I didn't like the sound of that.

"The simple fact in the matter," he continued, "is that this is my home. While I am glad that you have been very… welcoming to us, I'm afraid we must discuss the matter of you staying here."

With a swallow, I set the can and the spoon down. I stood up and grabbed my pack from where it was and went to the cupboards. Placing my food inside, I closed and tied it down. Turning, I saw the doctor looking at me.

"I figured I might as well get my stuff together. Pretty clear this is an eviction waiting to happen." I said.

"That… wasn't my intention. I was hoping you would stay, actually. The only issue I have is with you walking around like you own this place." He said, slightly annoyed.

"How so doc? I found this place empty, or at least seemingly empty. I just found you guys today, and the only thing I've done is help out. If you're talking about the gun incident, you can forgive me for being a little nervous when I walk downstairs and find that," I said, pointing to the alien, "and you helping it."

"HE," the doctor stressed that word again, "has more right to be here than you do!" He said, pointing his finger at me.

"FINE! You want me to leave? I'll leave!" I said, slamming my hands into the table and standing up. "I'll just grab my things and keep walking, like I've been doing for SEVEN MONTHS!" And with that, I turned, grabbed my bag, and walked off into the bedroom. Scooping my things into my bag, I made sure I had everything. After a slight hesitation, I threw Don Quixote in there are well. The old bastard wouldn't miss it.

After grabbing my things, I stomped out of the house. My boots tied tight, I was intent on finding somewhere else to live. If he wanted a weird ass alien creature as a roommate, let him have it! I picked a random direction, and started walking. "FUCK YOU!" I yelled, giving him the middle finger to boot.

It was a mistake to leave. I could get temperamental at time, sure. Hot headed? Definitely. But now it was going to kill me. It was cold as hell out, at least -10, and I had nowhere to go. I didn't know which way I had come, so I couldn't go back to the cabin, and the wood was to wet to make a fire. I sat down in the snow, trying to dig something to keep me warm. I tried warming my hands up, wrapping my arms around my body, tightening my hood, anything to keep the biting cold out.

The strangest thing about freezing to death? You start to feel warm at the end. I don't know why, but it began to feel like I was back home. Or maybe it was the hell fire that the preachers had always talked about, and I was finally going to pay for the decisions I had made.

Either way, I welcomed it. At least I was warm again. Whether an eternity of fire, or a simple nothingness, I was glad to see it come. I had lived a pretty good life. I had seen more than many of the people I knew, and was finally getting a rest from all the things I dragged with me through life.

As the world grew dark, and I waited for what might come after, I could have sworn I saw someone running towards me.

"Maybe it's the welcome party…" I muttered, as the world finally was consumed in blackness.

A/N: Sorry for the delay again. School has been eating up more and more of my time lately. I still don't see how people find a way to party with the amount of time you have to dedicate to college. Anyway, will try to get at least one more chapter up this week.

Thanks to everyone who left a review! It really means a lot to see people enjoying my work. Please feel free to leave a review of your own, let me know how I can improve or if you are enjoying it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Nighttime Discussions

I woke up somewhere warm, laying on something soft. "Am I dead?" I thought. No, not dead. I could feel things. This wasn't the ether everyone always talked about. There was something off to my right and left, but I couldn't turn my head to see them. I felt numb, like someone put Novocain in my whole body. I tried to rub my arm, but couldn't.

"I wouldn't do that," a voice said, "you're suffering from hypothermia, frostbite, and a lack of oxygen in your feet. You're lucky to be alive."

That's when the face of Doc Nathan came into view in front of me.

"You really are lucky, you know that?"

"Ya, I guess… I guess so." I stuttered out.

"You've been out cold a couple of days now." He said, the care in his voice almost making me forget I was pissed at him.

"How… how did I get here?" I asked, doing my best to stay awake. It was just… so…hard…

The last thing I heard before I passed out again was: "My vortigaunt friend found you…"

I don't know how long I slept. It was dark when I woke up, the moon shining through the front window of the cabin. I slowly sat up, taking everything slow. My body hurt, but I was alive. That was good. I slowly stood up, and dressed into a pair of fatigue pants and a sweater. Putting on my boots, I was careful to keep the laces loose to let my feet breathe. With that accomplished, I stepped outside, making sure not to wake anyone.

The night was cool and crisp. Not nearly as cold as the night I nearly froze to death, but cool enough to be comfortable. I sat down on the steps and rubbed my face. What was I going to do? The old guy saved me, but I was still pissed as hell about him. And then there was the alien, the doc called it a vortigaunt? I owed it my life now. How in the hell was I going to deal with this mess? It almost made me wish I had kept walking when I saw this cabin. Maybe if I just took off again…

I was sitting there, lost in my own thoughts, when I heard a noise behind me. I turned just in time to see the door open, and the alien's head peak around it. With a groan, I turned back and scratched my head again. Time to sort this out.

The creature stood there for a second, as if unsure what to do. He finally stepped out and closed the door. I stood and turned, hoping my half-hearted attempt at looking surprised to see it would work.

It didn't.

It seemed to take me in. Finally alone, it seemed more comfortable speaking with me.

"This one is unsure what it should call its companion." It said, its speech warbling slightly. "We know the Nathan, the one who saved us, but not the name of the other."

"It's…um… Jack…" I stuttered, unsure what it meant by "companion".

"The… Jack…" it said, as if tasting the words. It seemed to find them agreeable enough, so at least my name past the alien friendship test.

"The Jack spent much time resting," it said "this one was worried."

Worried? This alien… thing, was worried about me? Well damn me to hell if that wasn't new.

"Um, yeah. I heard you were the one who found me. Thanks for that."

"This one knew that the Jack was unprepared for the harsh environs. Compulsive behavior seems common amongst your species."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I guess I owe you."

Awkward silence followed. Neither one of seemed to know what to say.

"What is your name?" I asked. If I owed someone my life, I needed to know their name.

"This one wishes to tell you, but your species lacks the ability to understand. The Nathan calls us Quixote, though this one does not understand the name."

I had to grin slightly. The old bastard really was something.

"I'm sorry about the whole gun incident when I found you." I said.

"This one understands that strangeness causes your kind to act… compulsively."

"You have to understand, my experience with aliens hasn't not been a positive one."

"This one understands this topic. However, it also wishes to convey that the Jack's previous meeting with our kind was not intended to be hostile."

"Could have fooled me…"

"This one does not understand this phrase."

"It means that it didn't seem that way at the time."

Quixote merely nodded.

Rubbing my neck, I coughed lightly.

"Anyway, I should really get back inside. Thanks for saving me and all."

Quixote merely stepped aside. As I walked back in, I swear I thought I saw it try to smile. Not much luck, but still…

After checking the bedroom, and seeing that the doc had taken my bed, I went a laid back down on the couch. However, before I fell asleep, I thought I saw Quixote standing outside, looking up at the night sky.

Things just kept getting stranger…

A/N: Man, that took longer than expected. This has actually been done for a while now, but I was stuck constantly revising it. So, this is my seal of "good enough". Sorry about the short length again, I promise to make up for it in the next chapter.

As always, please review and critique. The only way I can get better is if people tell me what they think.

Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Journey East

"That's the second helicopter this week." I said, looking over to Nathan.

"They must be looking for strays, rounding them up in the population centers to control us easier." He said around a mouth full of food.

"We should maybe think about leaving"

It had been a month since that nighttime talk with Quixote. While we had been comfortable, there was an increasing amount of activity from the Occupiers and their sympathizer forces. They were obviously looking for something up here in the frigid north, though what that might be was beyond me. Just looking for people hiding out didn't really make sense. Too little gain from too much expenditure.

When the choppers were out of sight, I turned to face the doctor.

"We need to have a plan in place. If they come knocking, we'll need to leave pretty quickly."

"What do you suggest?"

"The only options we have are to head further north, or head towards the coast and find a boat."

"The coast might be the best plan. If we go any further north without the proper supplies, which I doubt we can get easily, we'll die."

"Quixote, what do you think?"

The vortigaunt seemed to give the question serious thought. Finally he looked back to us.

"This one believes finding a boat is the best idea."

I smiled slightly.

"Well boys and girls, looks like we're getting back on the road!"

That night was spent in deep discussion on the matter. Several maps were brought out, and Nathan and I tried to guess at where the best place to get a boat would be.

"We want to avoid populated areas… They may be under the occupier's control, or there may be people there who will kill us for what we have." Nathan said, pragmatism was becoming his defining factor, and I liked that.

"Here," I said, pointing to a spot on the map, "little village called Makovic. It's on the coast, should have a boat, and a buddy of mine has family there. It's as good a bet as any."

"Farther north than I was hoping, but I agree."

"So, we set out tomorrow?"

"No, day after. We need to be sure we have everything we need, and we need sleep, which I doubt we will get much of once we leave."

"Alright, we leave the day after tomorrow…"

XXX

We now stood outside the cabin. Our packs were filled with everything we thought we might need, and we were as ready as we would ever be. With a final look at the cabin, I turned to the doctor.

"You sure you want to do this? We can still turn back…"

"No, we need to leave. You said it yourself; this area is far too active for us to remain undetected…"

"Alright, then let's go."

With a final glance, we turned away. Now, we faced a long and uncertain road. No guarantee of safety, and no warmth at the end of the day. We would only have ourselves to rely on. I wanted to be positive, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we were all going to die.

XXX

We had been walking for a few days. Wrapped in my winter gear, I was definitely more comfortable than my two traveling companions. Quixote had that same wise, old monk look to him. Nathan was the one I was concerned about. He was pale, and he staggered along like he was dragging concrete behind him.

"Nathan, you alright?" I asked one night as we sat beside a fire.

"To tell you the truth, no. These boots, these clothes, none of them were made for this kind of cold." He said, a wry smile crossing his lips

I reached into my pack, pulling out another set of combat boots and winter fatigues. Nathan's eyes widened.

"You had those this whole time?" He asked, not able to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice.

"Yeah, I did. All you had to do was ask for them." I said simply.

Nathan grabbed them wordlessly and quickly changed into them.

"Better?" I asked.

"Better"

With that, I rolled over and fell asleep, not trying to think about the fact that I had given away the last set of warm clothes I had. I wouldn't be able to change into something warmer, which meant…

"Which means trench foot, hypothermia, and a dozen other nasty things can happen" I whispered, and tried my best to fall asleep.

XXX

The next morning, we came across a town. We had been hiking along, and had just come over a rise, when we saw a river laid out before us. The river wound its way towards us, and then emptied into the bay on our left. Or maybe it was the other way around.

Either way, there was a town spread out near the mouth of the river.

"Fort Severn" Nathan said from behind me.

"Looks great," I replied sarcastically, "wonder how much for a four star room."

"Don't be so quick to judge. We may yet find aid here" Quixote murmured.

"Hey, I didn't mean nothin' by it" I said, raising my arms in mock surrender.

With a shake of his head Quixote started down toward the town. With a quick glance to Nathan, and a nod of my head, we hurried after him.

XXX

The town was silent. The streets looked completely abandoned, the shed like building creaking in the wind.

We stood in the center of the street, looking for some sign that there might still be people living here. Nothing.

So, with a nod, I motion to one of the buildings.

"Might as well see if there is anything we can use."

With a quick nod, Nathan and Quixote set out for the building across the street.

XXX

I wandered further back through the shed like buildings. They all started to blend together after a while, and only the views of the river helped orient me. Looking at them all, it made me wonder what kind of crazy people could live in a place like this. Of course, I had to remind myself that I had been thinking of moving to a place like this not long before the world went to hell…

Things always seem better as memories…

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the sound of shuffling footsteps behind me. In fact, the first clue that anything was there was when it sunk its claws into my back.

With a cry of pain, I went down. With my face buried in snow, it took me a second to turn over. By then, the zombie was already bringing its claws down on me. No time to move…

Its claws tore into my guts. Trying to stay conscious, I shoved the thing back. I dipped, grabbed my knife from its sheath, and twirled it into a throwing position. With a momentary prayer, I threw it.

It lodged in the zombies shoulder. Cussing, I grabbed my pistol from its holster. By this point, I was lucky I could even still see what I was aiming at, much less aim a handgun. Trying to clear my vision, I unloaded several rounds into what I thought was my target. Lucky for me, they hit where they were supposed to.

When Nathan found me, I was barely conscious. He grabbed me and dragged me into a nearby building. Dumping me on the floor, he grabbed a shotgun and fired a few rounds out of the doorway before slamming it shut and pushing a desk against it.

With that, he turned his attention to me. One thing I had to give him was that he knew what he was doing. In no time, he had me patched up and in relatively descent shape. He handed me a couple of pills.

"Take these. They should get you back on your feet long enough for us to get out of here."

With a nod, I downed the pills. They didn't seem to do anything at first, but then, slowly, I felt myself fill with energy. Nathan nodded, then stuck a syringe in my arm. The morphine acted fast, and I was back on my feet.

"The town is filled with those things. I saw a vehicle we could use down by the river, but your gunshots drew all of them out and cut us off. We need to get down there."

"Alright," I said, grabbing the shotgun from Nathan, "let's rock and roll."

After ensuring that we were all ready, I kicked the side door to the shed open. The zombies hadn't been expecting it, so our way was clear for the moment. In my half drugged state, I decided to unload a few rounds into some of the waiting zombies while Nathan and Quixote ran.

With that, I started running. The pain was immense, but the morphine kept it at a dull roar, rather than a kick to the guts. Luckily, my legs were still descent.

When we reached the truck, I nodded to Nathan, who started working on hotwiring it. Quixote and I took up defensive stances on either side of the tracked vehicle. The zombies began to swarm us, and we only barely managed to board the vehicle and get out before the zombies completely boxed us in.

At that point, I collapsed in the back seat. The pain was coming back, worse than ever. It felt like someone had cut me open with a weed-whacker, poured lead in, and stitched me back together with barbed wire.

Nathan and Quixote exchanged a few muttered words, probably about me. To be honest, I couldn't care less. By that point, I was slipping back into unconsciousness.

We were becoming a little too familiar.

X X X

We had stopped again.

I wish I could say how long it had been since we had left Fort Severn. To be honest, I didn't know.

They were everywhere. Ghosts from my past. Friends I knew were long dead, and relatives I had long forgotten. They were always there, always whispering. Or, worse yet, there were the glowing figures. They looked like Quixote, but they instilled fear in me. I lash out at them when they come close.

Nathan tied my hands and legs up. Told me something about not being well. No shit asshole, you try having your guts ripped open…

Quixote has been the only real saving grace. Since we met, I have had few chances to talk with him. Now that I have nothing better to do, I might as well try.

The fire was burning rather high. Warmth was one of the few things that still felt tangible. I was sitting away from the others, huddled against a log. When I finally felt my voice was strong enough, I called out:

"Quixote, you got a minute?"

I still couldn't read this being I had traveled with for so long. It still unnerved me. However, there were moments where emotions seemed to break the unnaturally calm demeanor he had. The relief that crossed his face showed me all I needed to know. They thought I was dying…

He came over, avoiding the glowing beings that stood in front of me with an almost unnatural grace. He could see them, I was sure of it.

He sat beside me. Neither of us spoke for a while. Conversations between the two of us were always like this, and I knew that it was my fault. It always seemed to be…

Finally, I looked at him, trying to focus.

"How are you enjoying our lovely planet?" I whispered, trying to keep some form of humor.

"It is a cold planet. This one misses the warm climate that existed when we first arrived."

"It'll get warmer. At some point. Hopefully."

Quixote focused his gaze on me.

"You do not really care about the weather."

"You always were able to read me. No, I do care about how you two are doing, but I don't care about the weather."

I coughed, long and hard. It was getting worse.

"No, Quixote, I don't care about the weather."

"Then what do you wish to discuss?"

"I'm dying. I know it, and I thought I was ready. I'm not. I've just been thinking about what happens after we die, and I thought that you were the best qualified person to talk to."

Quixote seemed to think deeply, before finally speaking.

"This is a serious matter. You are correct that you are dying. Nathan and this one have discussed the matter at length. There is nothing to be done. As for death, for us, it is simply a dark period. Reincarnation is the word your kind would use. We regain a new form, though we are the same as we were before."

I chuckled slightly, before it turned into a racking cough.

"In our culture," I said, "one usually has to earn reincarnation, or so I was told. What do you think happens to those who don't deserve it?"

"You speak of yourself?"

"I'm not a good person, Quixote. I never have been. I always tried to do my best, and failed in the end. What a waste…"

At that point, Quixote must have said something. I'm sure of it. I just couldn't focus. Black was creeping into my vision, and I could almost feel the end coming…

"God, forgive me, a poor, miserable, sinner…" I whispered.

And then, blackness took me.

A/N: There we go, a slightly longer chapter.

Hope you all are enjoying this story. Please let me know what you think. Also, let me know if I'm writing vortigaunt dialogue well, I'm not entirely sure.


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